It's an indisputable fact that since the USDA has began subsidizing crops like corn, soy, dairy and wheat, the products with these ingredients have become less and less expensive.
Many Americans have stopped growing crops to sustain their families, and they have become more reliant on industrial agriculture and processed foods. Along with this is the disheartening reality that many families can no longer afford to feed themselves with the nutritional food they deserve. It has become a matter of quantity over quality to ensure that parents and their kids consume the most filling calories at the least expensive price. This is not the parents' fault to any degree; it is a collective fault of both the USDA and our society.
The problem nowadays is that many fortunate families cannot see that they are privileged with the simple matter of choice. In food deserts and low-income housing areas, it is difficult, to say the least, to find healthy choices for the comparably same price as unhealthy meals. And to the advocates who say it is easy to find low-priced healthy food and still be able to sustain a big growing family, I say try living on their (unlivable) wage or food stamps provided by the government, and then you will truly understand their struggle. It is difficult to argue against something if you have never experienced some way, shape or form of it.
Fortunate families should recognize and acknowledge that not everyone has the choice in what they eat due to economic restraints and circumstances. They need to understand that and stop blaming the parents for something that is not their fault. The sad truth is that the number of food-insecure families has risen exponentially, and they cannot afford nutrient-rich food. It does no good that other parents shame these families for making what they deem poor and inconsiderate decisions. These parents and single-parent households do their best to provide their children with as much sustenance as their income will allot, even if that food is deprived of nutrients.
So, if at first you judge a family by what is in their grocery cart, make sure to acknowledge the fact that you might be fortunate enough to afford the luxury of choice.
